“I want to take care of my community in a holistic way, focusing on mind, body and spirit."
In his practice as a rural family medicine physician, Richard Rapp, D.O., sees patients with any and all types of ailments. As a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, his education is in all aspects of medicine with additional training in therapeutic manipulation of the musculoskeletal system.
Dr. Rapp's interest in pursuing rural medicine was sparked when he experienced a severe illness in the middle of the night while visiting a rural town in his home state of Colorado. The physician who came to the clinic at 2:00 a.m. with a positive and caring attitude, inspired him to pursue rural family medicine as a career.
“I truly enjoy educating patients on their health and building genuine connections with them," he shared. “It is important to understand a patient's goals, beliefs and knowledge level around medicine. This helps me as a provider to ensure my patient understands both the risks and benefits of a treatment and ensures their opinions and experiences are included in the decision around their care."
With Dr. Rapp's additional training in Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine, many patients looking for other options besides prescriptions to help with pain seek out his expertise.
Born and raised in Colorado, Dr. Rapp and his family moved to the Ladysmith area when friends from medical school encouraged him to relocate to Rusk County to practice medicine. Since that time, he and his family have come to love the area and enjoy actively participating in community service and church service projects. In his free time, he enjoys woodworking and golfing.